Preview: North Carolina at Miami

October 09, 2012|Reuters

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Preview: North Carolina at Miami

Miami enters a stretch of four consecutive games against ACC opponents when it hosts North Carolina on Saturday. That has to be a comforting thought for the Hurricanes, who are perfect in conference play but have been bludgeoned in a pair of non-conference losses. Miami is the only ACC team with a 3-0 record but must regroup after it was stomped by Notre Dame 41-3 last week in Chicago. The Tar Heels are gunning for their fourth consecutive victory following an impressive 48-34 win over Virginia Tech last week. The Hurricanes have won the last two meetings, including a 30-24 victory at North Carolina last season.

TV: 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU. LINE: North Carolina -6.5

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA (4-2, 1-1 ACC): The Tar Heels will be seeking their first win on the road, having lost back-to-back games at Louisville and Wake Forest by a combined six points last month. Running back Giovani Bernard ran wild last week, amassing a career-high 262 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries as North Carolina put up the most points ever scored against Virginia Tech in an ACC game. Bernard, who also went over 100 yards in last season's meeting, is averaging a robust 9.1 yards per carry. QB Bryn Renner has thrown an ACC-high 15 touchdown passes and looks to guide the Tar Heels to their fourth straight win.

ABOUT MIAMI (4-2, 3-0 ACC): The Hurricanes had averaged 41.3 points during their three-game winning streak before they were throttled by North Dame. Miami also absorbed a 52-13 drubbing against Kansas State earlier this this season. The Hurricanes surrendered 587 yards and 34 first downs to North Dame while managing only 285 yards of total offense and holding the ball for less than 21 minutes. Prior to that debacle, Miami had rolled up more than 600 yards in each of its past two games against conference rivals North Carolina State and Georgia Tech. Quarterback Stephen Morris was held to less than 215 yards for the fourth time.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Miami, which has trailed by at least seven points in each of its wins, is seeking to start 4-0 in ACC play for the first time.

2. The Tar Heels are one of 10 schools to average at least 250 yards passing and 200 yards rushing.

3. North Carolina has outscored the opposition 119-24 in the second half, including 83-6 in the third quarter.